The sunlight bled into the room. My eyes slowly began to pry open. It was bright despite the curtains being closed. The light radiating from behind them into the room indicated to me that it was almost noon…
Noon? Wait a second! I sprung up from bed immediately after realizing I was back in the Master Bedroom at the Mansion. I wasn’t dressed as a barbarian, and I wasn’t wet from the rain. Did Delilah really grant my wish? It was difficult to tell right away. Afterall, just a few weeks earlier I had awoken in this room to the smell of bacon downstairs only to discover that the clock had been rolled back an entire year and I was the only one who knew it.
I jumped out of bed and quickly put some clothes on. The only way for me to know for sure was to see for myself. As I ran out of the bedroom, I saw Emily coming up from the staircase. She was alive!
As fast as I could, I ran up to her and embraced her, “Emily! I love you!”
“Whoa! Thought we were taking it slow? That’s not slow!”
“No, you don’t understand!” I explained, “You were dead…but now you’re alive.”
“Relax,” she giggled, “I just went to put on some coffee. You probably had a bad dream and panicked when you woke up so late in the day.”
I backed away from her and held her out from me by her shoulders while giving her a very serious look and said, “Listen. This is gonna sound crazy. But you know how things are with the well and the Devils and all that. The Devil King of Callist put a curse on me and rewound the clock to one year ago today. The day after you and I met. Since I wasn’t there to protect you from the Black Hand, they killed you.”
She looked up at me, unable to fully process what I was saying but listened anyway.
I continued, “I just spent the last few weeks in a living hell where you, Arduwan, and
Wraith were all killed brutally. But I was given a second chance. The same goddess that brought Stephanie back to life. She was there! She undid the curse to give me another opportunity to defeat the Devil of Callist and keep all of you safe!”
Her mouth hung open and her eyes were big. I could tell it was starting to set in how serious I was being and she looked as if she’d almost cry for all the things I’d been through.
“Oh, Eric,” she said, as she pulled herself into my chest and held me. I wrapped my arms around her and started to tear up. The nightmare was finally over.
* * *
A few hours later, my phone gave a notification. Something activated the basement cam.
It was Arduwan! She was coming up from the well. I ran down quickly to meet her. The two of us embraced. It quickly became apparent that she remembered everything as well.
“Eric! Emily! You’re both okay,” she said, “I was on my way back from visiting my village when the erasure must’ve happened.”
“You remember it?!”
“Of course. I told you, the life debt transcends time and space. I remember getting killed by the black knights and the next thing I knew, I was on my way riding back to the spring. That’s when I remembered it was what I was doing before all the crazy stuff started.”
“See, Emily. I wasn’t dreaming. It all happened.”
“Bizarre,” she noted, “forgive me if I’m being rude, but I’m really glad that I don’t remember any of this.”
While we were talking we heard a car pull up outside. The three of us went upstairs to see who it was and discovered that it was Anabel and Stephanie coming home.
“Girls! You’re back! I’m back! Everyone is safe, thank god!” I shouted as I hugged the two of them.
Stephanie sat her luggage down and asked, “what’s going on? Did we miss something?”
“You did…you missed a lot. But that’s okay. I can explain everything over lunch. Hey, wait a minute. What are you two doing back so soon? I was supposed to pick you up from the
train station at four.”
“Oh, yeah,” she explained, “we left our hotel a little early and found out the train before our scheduled one had extra room so they bumped us up. I thought I’d surprise you and just have a cab bring us back home.”
“Great! I’m just happy to have you both home.”
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We all sat down for a nice lunch. Bologna and cheese sandwiches. The kitchen was stocked with stuff like that in the wake of Anabel’s absence. I spent the afternoon explaining everything that happened. Like Emily, they too were happy that they didn’t remember any of it.
* * *
The next day, we were all just relaxing and enjoying each other's company in the drawing room. Stephanie and Anabel quietly left the room and spoke to each other for a little bit before returning. When they returned, they had a bit of a surprise for us.
“Everyone,” Stephanie said, with her hands palm up by her side, “Anabel has something she would like to tell all of you.”
We turned our attention to Anabel as she walked up beside Stephanie with her hands clasped behind her back and a smile on her face. Still looking towards the floor, she said, “During our trip to the Mediterranean it came to my attention…that in this world…it’s not unusual for a lady and another lady…who might fancy one another…to…umm…well, join in matrimony.”
“Get out of here!” I said with surprise in my voice, “you two are…I mean…the two of you are?”
Her face went red but she looked up and replied, “Getting married. Yes!”
Unbelievable. I was over the moon. A few months back and I didn’t know what to do with them but now, I couldn’t be happier for them.
Stephanie held Anabel’s hand and added, “It’s true. We are. I know this sounds…ridiculous and cliche, but the truth is…When I came here, Eric, I was confused and lost and I didn’t fully accept myself. But when I met Anabel, I started to feel…complete. So in Monaco, when Anabel asked me about the other same sex couples in public, I explained it and asked her if she would be interested. And she said yes!”
Emily, Arduwan, and I started to clap for them.
“I know it’s only been about eight months or so,” she continued,” but it just feels right.”
“Well now,” I said, “this calls for a real celebration. And here I was thinking just having you all alive again at the same time was reason enough to celebrate. Hell, let’s go bowling tonight!”
“Then you approve?” Anabel asked, all smiles.
“Of course I do! I’ll pay for everything. You can have the wedding right here if you’d like.
Out in the Gazebo. I can fly Steph’s family in.”
Stephanie ran up to me and with all seriousness said, “Eric. Are you sure? You don’t know what this means to me.”
“Of course I’m sure. I want you both to be happy and it’s the least I can do for all you do for me.”
She hugged me and gave me a little peck on the cheek before saying, “I hope you don’t mind…but would you be my best man? That probably sounds stupid doesn’t it.”
“No, not at all. Of course I will”
* * *
The next day, Stephanie and Anabel came home with yet another surprise. They finally got that puppy she had been wanting. Everything had been so much like a whirlwind since she asked me at Christmas that we never got the time to do until now.
He was a cute little pup with floppy ears and a pretty brown and white coat with some black lines in there. Stephanie said that he was a collie and cocker spaniel mix.
“That’s great,” I said, as I knelt down to pet him, “what’s his name?”
Anabel happily replied, “I just decided a name for him in the car on the way home. His name is Mischief!”
“Mischief? Wow. Like we need some more of that around here,” I joked.
“Is it okay for him to sleep in the house?” she asked.
“Yeah of course. I trust you to train him and all that. Put a bed for him wherever you’d like. Just make sure to keep Arduwan fed so she doesn’t get any crazy ideas.”
* * *
That evening, while Arduwan and I were working out in the fitness room and Stephanie was giving our new furry friend his first bath, Anabel approached Emily in the drawing room where she was reading as per usual.
“Excuse me, Emily,” she asked, coyly, as she approached with fidgety hands.
“Yes, Anabel?” Emily replied, looking up from her book.
Anabel’s eyes zipped around the room. She was unable to make direct eye contact when she spoke. But she said, “We’ve been friends for about a year now. Is that right?”
“Sure. If you can look past the rocky start, I’d say that’s pretty accurate.”
“Agreed. Well, you see. Stephanie has a very large family and many friends. I have no family back in my world. And all of you are the only real friends I’ve had since I was a child.
What with the rebellion and everything. Well I was wondering…”
Emily closed her book completely as she was trying to get a read on what Anabel was asking.
She continued, “You see…I know you told me before, that marriage is the last bastion of an obsolete system and a relic of an antique patriarchal society, but…”
“Anabel, are you trying to ask me if I would be your bridesmaid?”
“Yes, if it wouldn’t bother you too much that is?”
Emily sat her book down and patted the seat next to her on the couch to entice Anabel to sit down. When she did, Emily told her, “Anabel, just because I don’t think marriage isn’t right for me, doesn’t mean I’m not happy that you found happiness in your own way. So of course I’d be your bridesmaid.”
Her eyes lit up and she said, “Really? You would?!”
“Yes. But only if you promise your colors aren’t pastel!”
She smiled and answered, “Don’t worry, you can wear whatever you want!” The two girls hugged it out and went about their evening.
* * *
As the week progressed, I started to get a clearer picture of how I would handle the Devil
King of Callist. I knew that we would have to be methodical about this and not rush into anything, lest we be obliterated like we were in the alternative timeline. I decided to wait until I got Wraith’s report so we better understood what we were dealing with. I don’t think we were in a rush anyway since the stone for Callist still wasn’t flashing rapidly. So we could afford to take it easy for a while and think things through.
I was walking downstairs from the library while Anabel was in the kitchen and the other girls were off doing their own thing when I heard the doorbell ring.
“I’ve got it!” I shouted to Anabel so she didn’t have to trouble herself.
When I answered the door I found a young woman, maybe seventeen or eighteen years old standing at the door with a suitcase. She had long brown hair pulled back into a ponytail and what looked to be a school uniform on. Something about her seemed awfully familiar.
“Hello miss,” I greeted, “can I help you with something?” “Hi, Eric!” she exclaimed with youthful energy.
“I’m sorry, I’m afraid I don’t recognize you. I assume we’ve met someplace before?”
“Of course we have. It’s me. Your little cousin, Delilah!”